Book Review - Dead as a Doornail

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

After just finishing this book earlier this evening, I was pleased with how Sookie's 5th adventure turned out. This is perhaps the busiest book so far, with a lot going on around Sookie. The main mystery this time involves an unknown sniper who is targeting shifters, injuring them and sometimes even killing them. Sookie's brother Jason becomes something of a suspect in the shifter community, and Sookie herself is even attacked and her house is torched. We also have sub-plots involving Sookie's friend Tara who is involved in a forced relationship with a vampire, as well as Sookie becoming involved in were politics as a new pack leader is chosen.

For the first time in the series the vampires take a back seat to the action, which at first did take a while to get used to. However, the shift from vampires to wares allows the author to really explore the mythology (and politics) surrounding a community, which unlike the vampire community, is still living in secret. But Bill, Eric and Pam do make appearances, along with a new vampire bartender Charles who is hired to work at Merlotte's and of course Bubba the vampire formerly known as Elvis.

If you have read any of the previous Sookie books then there's plenty to satisfy you here. Sookie is her usual self, fun, bouncy and often quite brassy, and there is the usual mix of action, romance and the supernatural. There's a colourful cast of characters, some returning from previous books, others new ones who I'm sure we'll see more of in coming books. Of course Sookie's love life is also a focus, and wherever this girl goes men seem to fall in love with her. Not satisfied with the vampires Bill and Eric, Sookie also holds the attention of Sam, Alcide, Calvin and newcomer Quinn.

The setting of this book is primarily in Bon Temps again, however Sookie does travel a little to where she is needed. The author does a wonderful job of creating the town of Bon Temps, so I am happy to see this book set there again because I know a couple of the previous ones have taken Sookie somewhere else for the majority of the story, so I'm always pleased to see the story fixed in Sookie's home town.

Upon finishing this book, I was grateful to get such an insight into the shifter and were community, however I did miss the vampire aspect and I think Sookie always works best with Bill and/or Eric, so I am hoping for a return by the pair of them in the next book. However, as usual this book was pacey, an easy and engrossing read and perfectly entertaining, even if a bit silly - but I suppose that's the point of these books. To have some fun.

Book Review - Dead to the World

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Book four of the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series is arguably the best one of the series so far. Setting the action back in Bon Temps, after the previous two books were set out of town, this time around Sookie must protect Eric, who is suffering from memory loss due to a witches curse, from a coven of evil witches. She must also deal with the disappearance of her brother Jason, as well as her break-up with Bill, who spends most of this book in Peru.

There's a bit more supernatural stuff going on this time around. We meet some new beings, or Supes as they are called in the book, including some new Shifters, a fairy and a coven of witches. Sookie's brother Jason also gets more to do in this book, he becomes involved in the supernatural world and his character will certainly never be the same again after this book. Some of the characters who we met in the previous book, Club Dead: A True Blood Novel also reappear, most notably Alcide, Sookie's werewolf friend (although he, along with many other male characters is something of a love interest for her).

If you have read any of these books before then you know what to expect here; a fun, slightly tongue in cheek paranormal mystery. Our heroine, Sookie is fairly brazen and although she isn't the sharpest tool in the box, acts as a very entertaining narrator. Style wise, the book is very simple to read, and it won't take you long as it is quite addictive reading, as are the other books in this series. If you haven't read any of those, then I suggest you go back to Dead Until Dark: A True Blood Novel and start from there, as although this can be understood and read as a single mystery, there are things that do overlap from book to book, such as characters and mythology. Nothing too mind boggling, but it's always best to get the whole effect of this world.

So all in all, this is an addictive, fun and at times suspenseful read, which is the strongest addition to the series so far. Let's hope that book five keeps up with this trend.

Book Review - Club Dead

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

This is the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse mystery/romance/supernatural novels and this time Sookie has found herself in the middle of Bill's kidnapping, which is what the basic plot centres on.

This time Sookie travels to Mississippi, which unfortunately like the previous book Living Dead In Dallas: A True Blood Novel takes most of the action away from Bon Temps again. This is slightly disappointing because Bon Temps is such a good setting, but it does make room for the introductions of a few new characters, most notably Alcide, a Werewolf who aids Sookie in her investigation into Bill's disappearance. Of course, the character quickly becomes more than just an aid, he becomes a love interest for Sookie, who at this point has found herself with a boyfriend who has betrayed her, Eric who lusts after her and Alcide who she finds herself attracted to from the off.

The writing, as usual is good if a little simple, but that isn't a bad thing as it fits in nicely with Sookie's own vocabulary. There is a sense that these books are written by an older person since they have a very cosy feel to them, despite featuring murder, violence, rape and gore amongst other things. But you will find yourself addicted to the story and you probably won't take long reading this book as you will want to know what happens next.

There are however a couple of weak points or underdeveloped story lines, which I'm not sure will carry over into the next book(s) or not, so I won't say too much about them, but the one that really bugs me is the reasoning surrounding Bill's kidnapping. It seems very weak towards the end of the book, almost as if the author couldn't come up with something better and stronger.

Still, this is an enjoyably addictive book, which for fans of the vampire/mystery/supernatural genres will enjoy if looking for a quick but fun and entertaining read. For fans of the show, I've said this in my other reviews of the previous books, the books are very different to the show and vice versa, so if you have come to the books looking for something like the show then you might be disappointed. Of course, you can like both, but the books and series are two very different things.

Book Review - Living Dead in Dallas

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

The second in the Sookie Stackhouse series of vampire mystery novels, Living Dead in Dallas serves up another enjoyable outing for the telepathic heroine.

After the previous book in the series Dead Until Dark: A True Blood Novel set up the characters and the mythology of the stories nicely, this book gets into the action right off the bat. Unlike the previous book, this time there are two plots (or mysteries) running throughout. The main being the missing vampire in Dallas, the second set in Bon Temps where Sookie's friend and co-worker Lafayette has been murdered.

We are introduced to a whole cast of new characters, as well as some returning ones. Harris this time also includes more of the supernatural element in the story, and some new beings are made aware to Sookie throughout the story. Remembering however, that at the core, this is a mystery novel, and like all good mysteries, Living Dead in Dallas has plenty of twists and turns along the way, as well as a nice surprise regarding Bill at the end of the novel.

Harris serves up another adventure, packed with fun characters, original takes on some already established myths and legends and also manages to weave two very different, and unpredictable mysteries around the action as well. Her writing style is very simple most of the time, and makes for an easy read. In fact, you will find yourself whizzing through these stories, I read it in about three days, so you really do get sucked into this world.

The story is told in first person, from Sookie herself, so we learn a lot about Sookie's own personality as well as her views and opinions on certain things. She continues to be a fun, no-nonsense protagonist and despite being surrounded by powerful supernatural beings, always seems to get the job done. It can often be a bad idea to use a first person narrative, especially with a protagonist as outspoken as Sookie, as the audience sometimes can't connect, but Harris has masterfully crafted a main character that the reader can root for and most importantly like.

The supporting characters range from likeable to un-likeable to just there to serve a purpose. There is a lot more from Eric in this book than the previous, and as a fan favourite, many readers welcome him. He is actually very much the character you love to hate. Also, for viewers of the television show who missed Tara in the first book, she does make her first appearance towards the end of this book. She is somewhat different to her television counterpart, but she is still a good friend of Sookie's, so no doubt she'll pop up again in future books.

One thing which I felt was slightly off in the first book, was the core relationship between Sookie and Bill. It seemed very forced and boring in Dead Until Dark almost as if neither of them felt very strongly about the other. In this book however, Harris has sorted the relationship out and there is much more chemistry between the two. Perhaps this is because of the inclusion of Eric, and the threat he poses to them as a couple - I don't know, but as a couple, they definitely seem a lot more "realistic" (if that word applies when talking about human/vampire relationships) than in book one.

If you haven't already read Dead Until Dark, then I suggest you start there, just to get into the series properly, however, this book shouldn't prove too complicated for newcomers to the series.

Book Review - Dead Until Dark

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

I decided to read this book after watching and loving the series True Blood Season 1 (HBO) [DVD] [2008] which is based on this book series, or more specifically this book.

However, the two are very different. While the show is dark in a fairly light-hearted and campy way, the books are just light-hearted, there is no real darkness of grittiness to them. But they are enjoyable, and there is a certain familiarity with them, when you've seen the show. The characters are similar, I felt Bill had been changed most for the show, he's pretty cold and dominant in the book, where on the show, he never really gets away with bossing Sookie around because she's always got something to say about it.

But, back to the book. The writing is good, if a little simple. The characters are well developed, Sookie is an especially appealing heroine, which in a lot of other urban fantasy books, is a rare find. There is a mystery running through the book, much like the first season, which is probably the only storyline which plays out in both the book and show in the same way.

If I was going to make big one criticism of the book, it would be that the two main characters, and the love interests of the book, Bill and Sookie have very little chemistry and a lot of their interaction is just Billie telling Sookie what to do. For example, whenever the two have sex, it is always on Bill's accord, never in a moment of passion or love. The whole relationship feels very routine and there is just never any time when it feels "real". I haven't read the second book in the series, Living Dead In Dallas: A True Blood Novel yet, so I don't know if Harris has has perfected the romance, but hopefully it will become less mechanical as the books progress.

So this does come highly recommended for fans of the genre, its a quick read, I read it it about three days, and its simple enough to read in large chunks. If you can get passed the light-heartedness and enjoy it for what it is then you will enjoy it, however if you go into it, expecting it to be in the same style as the TV show, you will be disappointed because this is a lot lighter and simpler. However it is a hugely enjoyable and absorbing book which you will find difficult to put down once you realise that this and the TV series are two very different entities.